A November trip to the Eurasian country of Georgia was an opportunity for Spaswinefood to explore its wine regions. Not only were we introduced to Georgian wine but we also experienced amazing Georgian hospitality. Throughout the world enotourism or wine tourism is seen as an area of tourism with great potential for growth. What does this mean for future wine tourism in Georgia? Here are my observations based on my experiences in Georgia. Georgia should not try to offer what you find in other wine making regions of the world. Georgia's enotourism potential lies in showcasing what it has to offer the wine world. Georgia has much to offer that is very different from what you will find elsewhere. This includes (1) an extensive wine history, (2) a qvevri wine making tradition, (2) the celebration of wine and food through Georgian feasts or supras, and (3) Georgian wines made from indigenous grapes.
Georgia's Wine Making History and Qvevri Tradition
Georgia has 8000 years of wine making history. It is one of the oldest wine making regions in the world, dating back to around 6,000 years ago. In fact Qvevri wine making dates back to 1011AD to 4000BC, with viticulture in Georgia dating back to 6000BC. Qvevri (kvevri) wine making is a traditional wine making process that is still used in Georgia. What is unique to this wine making process is the use of a large earthenware vessel (qvevri) in which the wine is made. This natural wine making process involves the use of large clay pots, lined with beeswax that is buried in the ground.
 |
| Historical Qvevris at the Georgian National Museum © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Tasting Qvevri Wine from a Modern Qvevri, Sumi Wines © Spaswinefood |
Georgian Feast or Supra
It is not every day that you get an opportunity to experience the rich wine and food traditions of a unique wine producing country, like Georgia. My main goal for going to Georgia was to better understanding what is involved in qvevri wine making. However, what we encountered in Georgia was not only qvevri wine making but the rich tradition of the Georgian feast, or supra (a traditional banquet feast). Part of the Georgian tradition is to have a toastmaster at such gatherings. Usually a toast is accompanied by a song or verse. Georgians truly know how to celebrate with wine and food. It has been said that Georgian food and wine are best observed at a Georgian supra. Moreover, Georgian cuisine is exciting to explore because it has been influenced by Middle Eastern and European traditions.
Georgian Wines Made from Indigenous Grapes
Sure Georgia can make great wines using international grape varieties. However, what would intrigue most people is something different. Georgia does in deed have many types wines produced from indigenous grapes. If we add to that natural wine making process associated with qvevri wine making there is even a broader appeal.
 |
| Georgia has over 400 native grape varieties © Spaswinefood |
Next is an overview of some of the stops we made during our Georgia travels.
On the Georgian Wine Trail: Tbilisi to Eastern Georgia and Return
Any Georgian wine adventure will most likely start and end in Tbilisi. Our first stop was the Georgian National Museum. One of the highlights was seeing a display of historical qvevris. Throughout the remainder of our travels in Georgia we also saw how qvevris are used in today's wine production.
After a morning tour of Tbilisi we stopped for lunch at the Azarpesha Restaurant on a side street (2 Ingorokva Street). Although I had heard of a Georgian feast, or supra little did I know that we would get such an introduction over lunch. In fact over lunch with Luarsab, his wife and their Georgian friends we discovered that in Georgia wine, food and song are one. This lunch was my first introduction to Georgian qvevri wines and a Georgian supra.
 |
| Luarsab © Spaswinefood |
 |
| This Rkatsiteli wine's symbol is the same as on the Historical Qvevri © Spaswinefood |
Georgia, one of the oldest producing wine regions in the world, produces a great diversity of wines. While it is known for its qvevri wines it also produces non-qvevri wines as well. One example is Sarajishvili Winery famous for its brandies. Another example is Bagrationi Wines that has been producing sparkling wines since 1882. They produce sparkling wines from Georgian indigenous grape varieties, such as Chinuri, Mtsvane, Tavkeri, Tsiska and Saperavi.
 |
| Tasting Brandy at Sarajishvili Winery, Tbilisi © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Bagrationi Sparkling Wines, Tbilisi © Spaswinefood |
Tbilisi has much to offer #winelovers for example, Chateau Mukhrani has also recently opened a wine studio in Tbilisi. Later we were fortunate while traveling through Central Georgia to visit Chateau Mukhrani, which was being rebuilt (see article). Originally the chateau was built in 1878, as a residence for Prince Mukhrani of the Bagrationi royal family. The winery has been complete for sometime. The good news for travelers is that Chateau Mukhrani will also include a restaurant and hotel, due to open this year.
 | ||
Chateau Mukhrani being rebuilt © Spaswinefood
|
Eastern Georgia's Kakheti wine region, one of Georgia's best known wine regions, appears to be one of the best developed areas for wine tourism. Our first stop was at Schuchmann Wines Chateau in Kisikhevi, Telavi just at dusk. It was so wonderful to pull into the parking lot and to be met by the winemaker, Georgi Dakishvili. After a tour of the qvevri room we did a wine tasting. Our visit to Schuchman was my first opportunity to see how qvevris are used in modern wine making.
 |
| Winemaker introducing Schuchman Wines © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Modern Qvevri Wine Making at Schuchman Wines © Spaswinefood |
Later that evening we arrived at Chateau Mere, a Telavi Bed and Breakfast. It was a very long day on the bus from Tbilisi. We were soon to discover Chateau Mere Time, a time to experience Georgian hospitality over wine, food and music.
 |
| Dinner at Chateau Mere © Spaswinefood |
Next day our first stop was at Alaverdi Monastery where wine making began in 1011. A visit to Alaverdi Monastery Cellars provided a glimpse into the past history of Georgian qvevri wine making. When we visited Alaverdi Monastery Cellars Father Gerasim, winemaker at the 11th century old monastery, shared the history of wine making at the Alaverdi Monastery (see I am wine article ). During our visit we did a wine tasting and toured Alaverdi Monastery Cellars where today you will see modern qvevri wine making.
 |
| Alaverdi Monastery © Spaswinefood |
The hospitality was super hot on a cold mid-November day when we arrived at Shumi Wine Company, Tsinandali in the Telavi region of Georgia. At Shumi we had an inviting lunch, sampled wines and listened to Georgian traditional polyphonic songs (see video). There was no end to the fabulous Georgian cuisine that we were introduced to at Shumi and elsewhere in Georgia.
 | ||
Georgian group performing traditional polyphonic songs, Shumi Wines © Spaswinefood
|
On our last day in Georgia we visited Tsinandali Palace. Tsinandali Palace was once the home of the Chavchavadze family, one of Georgia's most fascinating families. Today Tsinandali Palace is a museum, with a long history of producing wine. In fact the highly regarded dry white wine Tsinandali is produced there.
 |
| Supra at Tsinandali Palace © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Supra at Tsinandali Palace © Spaswinefood |
We toured the palace and did a wine tasting before we were treated to a traditional Georgian dinner. It was however, no ordinary dinner. It was after all a Georgian supra. This was our last #EWBC wine activity in Georgia before returning to Tbilisi. We experienced the rich tradition of the Georgian feast, or supra a number of times while in Georgia. It was during our travels we discovered that Georgians truly know how to celebrate with wine and food. So it was fitting on our last evening in Georgia that it was supra time at Tsinandali Palace.
Future of Georgian Wine and Enotourism
The future for Georgian wine looks good. Georgian wines have always been popular in Russia. However, this all changed when Russia banned the import of Georgian wines. The ban left Georgia looking for new market for its wines in the United States and Europe. A recent article by Lucy Shaw, Drinks Business noted that Russia lifted the ban on Georgian wines being imported. Both the recent lifting of the ban and the development of new markets means the future for Georgian wine looks good.
We began our wine adventure in Tbilisi and concluded with a traditional dinner at Tsinandali Palace. Georgia is already a must for hard-core wine enthusiasts. While in Georgia we were fortunate to be introduced to Georgia's wine making history, qvevri wine making, Georgian supra and wines made from indigenous grapes. All of this points to a great potential for the development of future enotourism. Spaswinefood has written about our Georgian wine experiences at Spaswinefood.
Sharon
November 2012
Tbilisi, Georgia
© Spaswinefood
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment